The “Seminar on Teaching Work and Programme Development for the Chinese and Media Studies Majors” was held by the Open University of China (OUC) in Kunming, Yunnan, from 14-16 June, 2023.
More than 90 teachers and administrators from the OUC attended the event. The seminar focused on the teaching and programme development for the majors in Chinese and Media Studies. The event encompassed four keynote speeches, with five sessions dedicated to teaching exchanges, three sessions dedicated to programme development, and a survey titled “Career-Oriented Core Qualities for Learners in Open Universities”.
Shen Juan, deputy director of the OUC Academic Affairs Department, gave an overview of the history and current status of both programmes. He presented the duties and workflow of the teaching team, and introduced the work plan as well as ideas for further reforms so as to solve common problems. Hu Zhengwei, vice dean of the Faculty of Humanities, shared his thoughts on the developmental trend of programmes in the New Humanities, especially in the disciplines of Chinese and Media Studies. Xu Xiaoxiao, deputy head of the School of Literature, discussed the practices and achievements of teaching reforms in the school, and introduced the concept of how to pursue substantive breakthroughs in teaching Chinese Language and Literature. Yu Qingyao, deputy head of the School of Media, reported on the practices and fruits of the teaching reforms in the school and introduced the curriculum, development and further reforms to the Network and New Media programme.
Team management was emphasized in the session on teaching exchanges. Wang Haiping from the School of Literature, and Zhang Ling from the School of Media, drew on their daily practice of teamwork and shared their work experience across the selection, removal, duties and division of labor, as well as the unified arrangements for teaching, research and the coordination of teamwork. Three teachers, Yang Changjun from the Xinjiang Bingtuan Branch, Lyu Jie from the Xi’an Branch, and Li Ruojing from the Anhui Branch, shared their personal experiences of working on the programmes and the courses they are responsible for.
In the sessions on programme development, the teachers present were divided into two categories: Chinese, and Media studies. The teachers from the Chinese Language and Literature programme (including Chinese Language Teaching) focused on optimized schemes for curriculum development in the field, addressing prominent problems arising from the teaching reforms in team and comprehensive practice. The Media Studies group discussed issues related to programme development and teaching reforms, including the duties of the teaching team and admissions, as well as subjects related to the social context, faculty and staff resources on the Network and New Media programme. They also discussed the possibility and feasibility of developing course resources, comprehensive practice, and reforms in performance evaluation.
Xiao Wanying, member of the Party Branch Committee of the Faculty of Humanities, organised over ten teachers from the branches to conduct in-depth interviews in which they discussed the general condition, programme and curriculum, and the execution of club activities concerning the topic “Career-Oriented Core Qualities for Learners in Open Universities”.
The seminar strengthened the exchange of ideas and experiences of programme development and teaching among teachers from the Chinese and Media Studies disciplines in the Open University system. It also promoted sincere cooperation and coordinated development of teachers across the OUC operating system, and made contributions to the high-quality development of open education as well as building a learning society and country where lifelong learning is pursued by all.
By Xiao Wanying, OUC